Introduction From the Special Issue Editors: Preparing Graduate Students for a Changing World of Work

Introduction article for a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Higher Education. The issue represents the growing recognition of changes in the career paths and trajectories of graduate students, as well as the deepening interest in the support and development of professional knowledge and skills in advanced degree holders. The call for proposals for this issue sought contributions that theorized the problem of graduate student development, reports on empirical research, and/or illuminated comparative models for work in the Canadian context to inform the growing field of graduate student support in Canada. The goal of this special issue is to contribute to the global conversation about graduate student education reform by deepening the conversation on this issue across Canada

From Teaching Assistant Training (TA) to Workplace Learning

In this paper, I propose a renewed look at how teaching assistants (TAs) are being prepared to fulfill their duties in higher education. I argue that the apprenticeship model of learning that is currently in use be replaced by the more holistic workplace learning approach. Workplace learning theories take into consideration the complexity of the learning situation of the TA

14. Conversations and Collaborations

This paper looks at how a series of conversations contributed to the development of a newly formed role at the University of Victoria – Teaching Assistant Consultants (TACs). TACs act as departmental mentors for teaching assistants (TAs) in their respective departments, charged with providing support in the form of discipline-specific workshops aimed at improving performance of their duties and increased confidence in their roles, as well as fostering a TA community within departments

35. Fly on the Wall

This paper describes the implementation of a peer observation program at the University of Victoria called the Lecture Club. The observers are not interactive during the class – they are the proverbial flies on the wall. The paper identifies the program as self-developmental, discussing the attributes of this learning-to-teach and peer-sharing methodology. The paper concludes with ideas for further development of this program

Teaching Assistant Competencies in Canada: Building a Framework for Practice Together

This paper examines the stages of development for a framework of teaching assistant (TA) competencies initiated by the Teaching Assistant and Graduate Student Advancement (TAGSA) special interest group (SIG) of the Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE). TAGSA initiated an iterative consultative process to inform the creation of the competencies that sought input from the STLHE community on four occasions. At each stage of the consultations, the competencies were formed and re-formed, their purpose and value debated, and the challenges of creating a development framework recognized. This process, described in this paper, resulted in a clear, succinct and flexible framework that can be used across institutions in multiple contexts

Preparing Graduate Students for a Changing World of Work: Editor’s Introduction

This special issue of the Canadian Journal of Higher Education represents the growing recognition of changes in the career paths and trajectories of graduate students as well as the deepening interest in the support and development of professional knowledge and skills in advanced degree holders. Geographer Andrew Ross described today’s ‘geographies of livelihood’ in terms of the changing demands of work and employment in a globalized knowledge economy

Shoes for the Shoemaker’s Children: Providing an Accreditation Process for Programs Offered by Educational Developers

Educational developers in universities and colleges design, develop, and deliver courses and programs for professors and teaching assistants (TAs) to support teaching and learning in postsecondary institutions. While courses that professors and TAs teach are often accredited by the institution or a professional body, courses offered by educational developers are often not accredited at all. With this anomaly in mind, the Educational Developers Caucus (EDC) created a working group to first explore the appetite for a Canadian accreditation process, and then to design and implement a framework. This article describes the process and product of the accreditation working group and reports on an initial evaluation of its impact, arguing for its valuable contribution to enhancing the quality of faculty and TA development programs and courses and thereby of teaching and learning